Stock Upgrades, Downgrades from TheStreet.com Ratings

Each weekday, TheStreet.com Ratings updates its ratings on the stocks it covers. The proprietary ratings model projects a stock's total return potential over a 12-month period, including both price appreciation and dividends. Buy, hold or sell ratings designate how the Ratings group expects these stocks to perform against a general benchmark of the equities market and interest rates.

While the ratings model is quantitative, it uses both subjective and objective elements. For instance, subjective elements include expected equities market returns, future interest rates, implied industry outlook and company earnings forecasts. Objective elements include volatility of past operating revenue, financial strength and company cash flows.

Media company E. W. Scripps(SSP Quote) has been downgraded to hold. While the company's net income growth has been compelling, profit margins have been weak, EPS growth has been feeble and the stock's performance has been generally disappointing. E.W. Scripps recently reported that second-quarter earnings increased 37% to $97.5 million, or 59 cents a share, but the company missed analysts' expectations due to disappointing TV and newspaper advertising revenue. The company also warned that third-quarter profit will miss Wall Street's forecast. E.W. Scripps had been rated a buy since September 2006. ...